U.S. Pat. No. 5,127,566 discloses holsters where a folding guard over the end of the weapon prevents the weapon from being removed and from falling out. This guard is locked in the closed position and has a slide bolt fitted on the inside, i.e. on the body side, for release. In addition, the weapon is also retained on the ejection port or window in the holster and must be correspondingly tilted away or twisted in the holster in order to draw the weapon. The guard safety device can be opened by an attacker. Since the mechanism is of course locked and does not give way, the mechanism may be damaged in a fight, which would render it impossible to draw the weapon later. The additional safety device in the ejection window of the weapon necessitates tilting the weapon. If the bearer of the weapon wants to draw the weapon out of fear of being killed, several movements in opposite directions are required—which has been demonstrated to be difficult in stressful situations. If during further actions, when the weapon has already been drawn, the guard safety device snaps shut because of course it is only kept in the open position by friction, holstering the weapon is not possible without releasing the safety guard again, which is extremely difficult because the weapon carrier must hold the weapon and not let the attacker out of his sight.
The holster according to U.S. Pat. No. 6,616,020 provides for a safety bolt which engages in the trigger guard and which is also released by an inner slide.
A holster with 2 safety devices is described in US 2004/0050887 A1 and provides, among other things, for a safety guard as a second safety device over the end of the weapon, which guard is retained in the closed position by spring resilience and which is opened by the locking mechanism of the primary safety device when the mechanism is caused to release, i.e. the safety devices cannot be operated independently of each other.
DE 103 30 676 B3 discloses a holster in which a safety element interacting with a protective trigger guard and a safety guard that overlaps the weapon and can be folded away are provided. Both the safety element and the safety guard are operated by a single operating lever, but in different directions due to movements of this operating lever. Nevertheless, in a scuffle an attacker may actuate the operating lever so that the weapon is fully released and may drop or be pulled from the holster. Also, the safety guard is connected to the operating lever in such a manner that it makes it difficult for the wearer of the holster to draw the weapon if, for tactical reasons or in the course of a scuffle, he faces the attacker on the body side where the holster is hanging. Finally, the movement required by the weapon bearer to open the safety guard involves extending the thumb, which movement opposes the movement for gripping the weapon. Disadvantageously, opposing movements in situations of great stress are very difficult.
The present invention overcomes the limitations of the prior art by providing a holster for small-arms, with two safety devices on the holster body, wherein a primary safety device can be released by an actuating element and the secondary safety device is formed by a guard above the upper end of the holster body, which guard can be folded away to the front independently of the primary safety device.
The object of this invention is to provide a holster that enables the user to release the safety catch easily and quickly and draw the weapon even in the most difficult stress situations, yet which effectively prevents an attacker from snatching the weapon out of the holster of the weapon bearer.
To achieve this object the holster has a guard that can be released by a second actuating element independent of the actuating element of the primary safety device. This allows actuation to release the weapon, by a means that does not require direct contact with the guard.
The retaining force acting on the guard is advantageously less than the force required for folding it away to a releasing condition and which can be exerted directly on the guard. The guard, which is additionally provided for the primary safety device, can be folded away to the front by its actuating element, even without release, due to the force acting in the opening direction. However, this does not release the weapon because it is still retained by the primary safety device. Nonetheless, it gives the weapon bearer enough time to react adequately. If the weapon bearer wants to deactivate the secondary safety device, i.e. the folding guard, he may do so by folding the guard away to the front, to improve readiness in the face of a likely attack.
According to a further feature of the invention, provision is made for an elastic element to act upon the guard in the folding away direction (to a released condition) with a selected force. This force of the elastic element is less than the retaining force. Independent opening of the secondary safety device, the guard, is therefore possible in that the safety guard is simply folded away to the front or automatically folds away to the front by actuation of the actuating element to release it from the secure or closed position. The elastic element, preferably a tension spring, also ensures that the safety guard folds away completely.
If, during a fight, an attacker tears the safety guard visible to him in the forward direction, the guard will simply fold away and the mechanism is undamaged. However, the weapon will continue to be safely retained by the primary safety device, which is not visible to the attacker and cannot be actuated by him. The tension spring that retains the safety guard in the open position also ensures that reholstering is possible without altering the grip on the weapon or diverting attention from the attacker. Even if the safety guard were to be accidentally closed in the course of a fight, this does not present a problem because when the weapon is reholstered the guard can be pushed forward with the barrel or forward end of the weapon. Once the guard is thus dislodged from the detent, the tension spring then automatically folds the guard fully to the open position.
Provision is preferably made for both actuating elements to be arranged immediately adjacent to one another. Therefore both actuating elements can be reached in one stroke with a single finger (typically, the thumb) of the hand. Both safety mechanisms of the weapon can thus be released. It is particularly advantageous for the actuating elements to be arranged on both sides of the thumb of the weapon bearer when the hand grips the weapon for drawing.
Even if the primary safety device is engaged and the secondary safety device is closed, it is then possible for the weapon bearer to release and draw the weapon in one natural movement, without any opposing movement and without tilting, canting or rotating the weapon. Even if the bearer's acuity and dexterity were diminished due to extreme stress, the weapon bearer need only concentrate his mind on gripping the handle of his weapon. From this natural movement he will first open the secondary safety device and then the primary safety device, which devices are advantageously arranged adjacent to one another in this direction of movement. The bearer will then be able to draw his weapon in a straight movement.
However, in order to prevent an attacker from similarly opening both safety devices, the direction of actuation of both actuating elements is advantageously different at least along part of their path, and preferably essentially opposed.
The function of the secondary safety device may be realized by simple structural means when, according to a further feature of the invention, the guard is pivotally installed on two opposite sides of the holster body, an end portion of the guard being of circular design, at least in the shape of a segment, on the inside.
According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, the circular end portion of the guard is provided with a detent feature. The detent feature includes a recess engaged by a spring loaded detent element. The detent element is essentially displaceable radially to the pivot axis of the guard. The second actuating element is connected to the detent element, so that pressing the actuating element releases the guard to fly open under spring tension. The retaining function is therefore easily realizable for the guard, but this does not represent a locking action and allows the guard to be folded away when force is exerted on it. The retention force is preferably just sufficient for retaining the guard in the closed position against the force of any elastic element, for forced folding away of the guard.
In order to guarantee safe retaining action, provision may be made for an elastic element to act upon the displace-able element with a force in the direction of the pivot axis of the guard.
According to a further feature of an advantageous exemplary embodiment provision is made for the elastic element to follow the circumference of the circular end of the guard over at least part of its length.
In order to be able to draw the weapon even if the secondary safety device is temporarily not possible or is forgotten, a further advantageous embodiment of the invention is characterized in that the secondary safety device can be released by the actuating element of the primary safety device. If for some reason the wearer of the holster has forgotten to actuate the secondary safety device in time, this may still be possible immediately on drawing the weapon by fully depressing the primary safety device, possibly even further than would be necessary to release the primary safety device.
This may be achieved in a structurally simple, and therefore functionally safe manner by ensuring that the actuating element of the primary safety device first releases the primary safety device along its working path, then interacts with the secondary safety device during further displacement.
Provision is made preferably for the actuating element of the primary safety device to move the displaceable element away from the pivot axis of the guard during its further displacement, which displaceable element engages in the recess of the inner end of the guard.
The invention will be explained in further detail in the following description with reference to an exemplary embodiment shown in the attached drawing figures.